1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a machine for the treatment of photographic films which includes a part for the treatment of conventional roll films which have been in use for a long time, which is adequately arranged for use with a new appliance for the treatment of the more recently developed films having a circular disc form, which are commonly called "disc films" and which have not yet been widely used.
This new appliance performs a normal series of treatments on the disc films, which comprise the developing, bleaching, fixing and stabilization, among which adequate washing cycles are interposed, and which terminate with the drying of the photosensitive material. Besides, according to the present invention this new appliance is particularly suitable and expressly conceived so as to be directly and optionally applied on a conventional appliance for the treatment of films having generic uses such as the 35 mm films and the like, in order to obtain considerable commercial and economic advantages.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Appliances are already known for the treatment of disc film, such as those which are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,112,452; 4,178,091; and 4,252,430 and others, which appliances substantially perform the same succession of treatment stages which normally is performed for the treatment of the conventional films. Clearly, it isn't convenient to have available specific appliances for the treatment of disc films only, which as mentioned above are utilized in a relatively limited manner compared to the more conventional films. Accordingly, additional solutions, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,502,772 have been proposed, in which an appliance for the disc film treatment may operate independently of but also be eventually interconnected to a conventional appliance for the treatment of commonly utilized films.
According to such a solution, the two appliances are completely independent and in practice comprise a conventional appliance for the treatment of the commonly utilized films and a specific appliance for the treatment of the disc films only, the two appliances being reciprocally placed side by side and interconnected in an adequate manner, so that the treatment liquids of the first appliance will be utilized for the second appliance also.
Such a solution, while permitting the obtainment of a practical utilization of the so resulting unit, still does not attain the aim of minimizing the size and the number of components thereof as well as the relevant manufacturing and assembling costs.